Little Free Libraries: Sad but Inspirational!

~ Becky Ross Michael

A Sad Farewell to a Good Man – this is from Jon at Children’s Book Insider.

(I’d love to read comments about your experience, if you own or have used a Little Free Library!    ~Becky)

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Todd Bol, 1956-2018

Todd Bol passed away last week, at the age of 62. You may not know the name, but you’ve seen his impact.

If you’ve passed by a home, or a firehouse, or a school that has a Little Free Library out in front, you’ve met Todd. You see, Todd is the man who thought the whole thing up, and then spread this beautiful idea around the globe.

He didn’t do it for money, nor fame. He just wanted more people to read, and more neighbors to get to know one another.

Today, 77,000+ Little Free Libraries later, Todd’s simple idea is putting books into the hands of millions, and creating tighter, more connected neighborhoods in the process.

I had the privilege of interviewing Todd as one of the very first guests on my podcast, DISRUPTOR. He was a lovely, thoughtful and deeply inspiring man.

A friend who heard the interview when it posted told me she wept just listening to such a decent man who viewed the world not with anger or distress, but as a garden for dreams to flower. And books were his water.

When the news of his passing came out, she texted me to tell me how gutted she was to hear about the loss of a man she had only known for the duration of a 30 minute recording. I feel the same way, and so do many, many others in the publishing community.

I invite you to take 30 minutes to meet Todd. His words will forever change your attitude about whether a regular person like *you* can have a massive impact for good.

Be inspired by what he’s done, and help carry his torch of understanding, knowledge and love of reading onward. And please share this interview so others may know this remarkable man.

Rest in Peace, Todd. May a million Little Free Libraries bloom in your memory.
Todd Bol, Little Free Lib

Episode 2 – Todd Bol of Little Free Library

What started as a hobby has become one of the book world’s most exciting adventures. Meet the man behind Free Little Library, and learn how he’s bringing free books to millions of readers!

Listen to podcast here

You can find the Podcast on iTunes here

All the best,

Jon

33 thoughts on “Little Free Libraries: Sad but Inspirational!”

  5. Fascinating. There is a Little Free Library on the lake path a few miles from where I live. It reminds me that I should donate a couple of books there instead of the public library.
    I am going to listen to this podcast as well. Thanks!

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  6. Reblogged this on e-Quips and commented:
    Todd Bol, then man who created Little Free Libraries has passed away. If you have ever seen a quaint little postbox sized building by the side of the road, you have likely seen a Little Free Library.

    Liked by 4 people

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  7. Pingback: Re-blog: Little Free Libraries: Sad but Inspirational! – e-Quips

  8. I love Little Free Libraries and have blogged about them a few times. I have found them in National Parks, churches, lots of neighborhoods, restaurants and most recently heard they were in a few Pizza Huts. Sad loss.

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  15. Becky–I enjoyed this post so much. We have two Little Free Libraries–one at our house in town and another at our mountain cabin just outside the south entrance of Yosemite. I love watching the books come and go from my little house painted to match our home and sited so we can see the traffic from the front porch. We have both adult and children sections. A new young family with 4 children recently moved onto our street, one which has been almost child free for several years, and their little boys visit the library several days a week.Knowing we have “patrons” I have been supplementing our children’s books with selections from the 25 cent book sale at my local county library branch. So interesting to now know more about this remarkable man.

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    1. Wonderful to hear from you today, Kathleen. How great that you have TWO of the Little Free Libraries and that your number of patrons appears to be growing. I’m sure that your efforts to keep the children’s books supplied are appreciated. Such a wonderful testament to this man’s vision. What a legacy to have left!

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  16. I had seen 2 of these in my neighborhood when I used to live in LA. Although I didnt take part in borrowing (just donating books into them), I had always thought it was a swell idea. So lovely and welcoming to see, they always were.

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